Banana Republic Faces Backlash Over Sexist Ad

“Is this an actual ad or satire?”

Banana Republic has come under fire for their latest advertisement. After posting a video of a man and woman riding a bike on Twitter (very unsafely, might we add) with the caption, “The slimming Sloan pant for her. The new Rapid Movement Chino for him. Try our perfect-fitting pants for a life in motion,” fans immediately responded with claims of glaring sexism. For many, having the women’s pants be tied to her appearance and the men’s pants aimed at his ability, was a form of casual sexism. One response read, “Is this an actual ad or satire? The sexism is glaring. Appearance for her? Action for him? I'm not even extremely sensitive.”

Assuming that women want pants to look thinner and men need pants for practical purposes is certainly an example of sexism and highlights how word choice is important. “Slimming pants for her, "rapid movement" pants for him? Btw, that's not a thing.” Though the company reached back to some commenters saying that they recognize the feedback, they have said nothing official and have not changed the language of the ad.